The weather is not great today as I write this: it’s gray and drizzly… and besides, I’m “under” it! So this will be brief, but I have two reflections for Women’s History Month, at the intersection of women’s history and our Catholic faith. There are many great women saints of the past; it’s easy to overlook the contemporary women who make great contributions to the Church.
In 2021 the worldwide head of the Jesuits established a Commission on the Role and Responsibilities of Women in the Society of Jesus. They will complete their work later in 2025. But for now, here is an interim report on the work and purposes of the Commission. It gives you a glimpse of quiet work going on behind the scenes. Read it HERE.
Closer to home, I recently learned more about “Madre” Anna Bates, a 20th-century African American woman who was tireless in her successful efforts to begin the first church and school built for Black Catholics in Detroit. (Other Black parishes were older, but their buildings had been first built for white congregations.) As you can imagine, she faced immense obstacles, practical as well as those stemming from racism, along with the resistant inertia of ecclesiastical institutions. You can read a brief synopsis of her story here. At this critical time when the Archdiocese is facing a realignment of churches and resources in the city, her story is timely. Do we maintain Catholic churches only where there are already lots of Catholics present in the neighborhood? Or do we deliberately place them where there aren’t so many Catholics, for the sake of bringing the presence of the Church, along with its service and evangelizing energies, to those who lack it?
We are about to begin the Third Week of Lent. It is not too late to choose some Lenten practices from our list of “DIY Lent” offerings in the areas of Spirituality, Sustainability, and Service (HERE). Whatever you choose to do, please share it with the community by writing it on a post-it note in the church hallway, so that we can inspire and motivate each other. And don’t forget to vote in the Battle of the Hymns!